Established in 1870—in the midst of the 1861 to 1886 Apache War with Cochise—Fort Apache was seen as both a strategic and a clever site. Major John Green, 1st Cavalry, located the post in the White Mountains, where, he enthused, “The climate is delicious…this one corner of Arizona were almost its garden spot….”

The Army stayed at Fort Apache until 1922. The next year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs created the Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School there.

In 1948, the movie Fort Apache directed by the legendary John Ford, tells the gripping story of a U.S. Cavalry outpost, led by the charismatic and enigmatic Captain Kirby York, played by the iconic John Wayne.

Henry Fonda played the role of Colonel Owen Thursday, a strict and ambitious officer, while Shirley Temple portrayes the colonel’s daughter, Philadelphia Thursday.

When a group of Apaches leave the reservation and attack an army patrol, Thursday (Fonda) sees a chance to redeem himself and regain his former rank of general.

After a few skirmishes, the Apaches escape to Mexico, and Thursday sends captain York (Wayne) across the border to arrange a peaceful meeting.

York’s mission is successful, but when the Indians arrive on the spot, Thursday refuses to negotiate with them on equal terms, and simply orders them to return to their reservation, knowing they will never obey the order.

But the Indians have set their own ‘trap’, and when Thursday attacks, his troops are annihilated, except for York and a few other men, who didn’t take part in the charge. 

The iconic Monument Valley in Arizona is the backdrop for this movie which is first part of Ford’s Cavalry trilogy (it was followed by She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande). 

Ford went on to use this picturesque location in many of his Western films, and it has become synonymous with the genre.

In this movie, it was presented as a more nuanced and empathetic depiction of Native American characters, humanizing them in a way that was uncommon for the time.

The young man you see below is named Kenneth William “Ken” Hallwhich, and he was at the tender age of seven when he collected all his worldly possessions and headed west to Fort Apache from Detroit in January of 1955.

He had his clothes, a couple of toy guns, a toothbrush and hair brush, a teddy bear, a box of his favorite toys, and his bank book, which gave him access to a whole ten dollars and 50 cents.

He hopped on a bus headed from Detroit all the way to the mythical Fort Apache, but police stopped the bus to recover Kenneth before the bus left the city.

He also had $65,000 in play money. He wasn’t running away from home – he just wanted to see the world.

Ken grew up to serve in the U.S. Navy (ETR3) in Vietnam and later became the Community Mental Health coordinator of emergency services of Haslett, Michigan.

Born on November 5, 1947, Ken died on October 21, 2010.

Upon his death, this was noted about Ken by his brother Don.

“My dear brother, Ken, expired after an unjustly cruel illness consumed his already enfeebled body. He died prematurely, before he really had the opportunity to taste more of life’s joy, a joy he deeply deserved.”

“Most unfortunately, our middle brother preceded Ken in death only nine weeks ago. A loving and protective brother throughout our early home life, Ken and I remained very close throughout our lives.”

“Ken’s accomplished life was full of honor, empathy and most importantly, irreverent humor. I take the greatest pleasure in stating that his life enhanced many others and that their love for my brother well matches my own, limitless love for the man. Good bye dear brother, friend, and fellow traveler.”

“For over thirty years Ken worked for Tri -County Community Mental Health believing he could make a difference. He was much loved by coworkers for his irreverent sense of humor and tireless commitment to the less fortunate. He will be greatly missed by all who were privileged to love him, know him, and work with him.”

He was survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Don Hallwhich and Stacey Willson, special friends, Michael Ranieri and Linda Gold, and the families of his four stepchildren.

A family man in the widest sense, Ken was known to be a devoted grandfather. Ken had a private military burial in Great Lakes, Holly, Michigan.” –Published in Lansing State Journal on October 25, 2010.

☆☆☆☆☆

IN GOD WE TRUST

Thanks for supporting independent true journalism with a small tip. Dodie & Jack

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